History Professor Presented at Russian Conference

Dr. Russell Martin, Westminster College professor of history, presented at the Law and Government in Russian History and Society conference May 26 at the German-Russian Institute in Moscow.

Martin's paper, "Law and Imperial Succession in Russia," explored the relationship between the Russian Imperial law of succession and the structure of the Romanov family in late Imperial times (18th-20th centuries), the topic of Martin's next book.

While in Moscow, Martin visited the Russian State Archives of Ancient Acts to research documents and archives related to the law of succession.

He also spent time in St. Petersburg, conducting research and attending the memorial service in observance of the first anniversary of the passing of Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna, mother of Her Imperial Highness, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, heiress to the vacant Russian throne.

Following the memorial service, the Grand Duchess invested Martin with the Imperial Order of St. Anna, second class, for his work on behalf of the House of Romanov.

Martin's research was funded by the Watto faculty award, faculty development and departmental funds.

Martin, who has been with Westminster since 1996, earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a master's and Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Martin appeared on A&E Biography in a broadcast on Ivan the Terrible as an expert on the controversial ruler. He is the co-founder of the Muscovite Biographical Database, a Russian-American computerized register based in Moscow of early modern Russian notables. The Neville Island, Pa., native is not only fluent in Russian, but also reads Old Church Slavonic/Russian, French, German, Latin, and Polish.

Martin continues to translate from Russian to English the official Webpage of Her Imperial Highness, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna. Translations are available at www.imperialhouse.ru.